Taonga Puoro

Pūmotomoto are long flutes with a notched open top which becomes the blown edge and a single finger hole near the end. The pūmotomoto was traditionally played over the fontanelle of an infant to implant songs and information of the child’s iwi directly into his/her conscious.

Pōrutu are essentially long kōauau with usually three (but up to six) holes of the same relative spacing as kōauau but located near the bottom end.

Pākuru are long resonant rods held between the teeth and rhythmically tapped as they are sung over.

Porotiti are small discs with a looped cord, which are spun and create special rhythms as they wind and unwind.

To create a signalling trumpet called a pūtātara or pūmoana, the narrow end of a conch shell was cut off and a wooden mouthpiece added.

The sound is made placing the finger over the hole at the tapered end then blowing into the mouthpiece and at the same time quickly releasing the finger.

Karanga manu or kōauau pūtangitangi are calling flutes. They were tiny flutes used to lure birds by mimicking their own calls

Nguru (which are unique to New Zealand) are short semi-enclosed flutes with an upturned end, made from stone, wood or a whale tooth.

Kōauau are the most common type of Māori flute, and traditionally were made from various woods, kelp, albatross wing bones, human bones and probably moa bones.

The pūtōrino is a flute unique to New Zealand. It is torpedo-shaped (tapering at each end), like the cocoon of the case moth into which Raukatauri changed herself.